Thunderbirds Blast Off
By Lee Homer
Disclaimer: A collection of short adventures based on the comic strips from the Thunderbirds Annuals of the '60s and '70s. All rights reserved. I don't own Thunderbirds.
Crash Down
On a warm sunny morning over the Cape Kennedy spaceport, the countdown drew to a close on an experimental manned Delta rocket. Comprised of three detachable compartments, the rocket was set for an expedition to the planet Mercury. Each compartment was powered by twin atomic rockets which hummed and hissed vapour when the coolant tanks unhooked from them. Two astronauts waited nervously for the blast-off as sat they sit within the cramped confines of the command module. At the mission control building, the Cape's controller made his final message to the crew.
"Countdown T-minus Thirty seconds! All systems are checked and ready. Good luck fellas,"
Inside the command module, the two astronauts looked at each other their final instructions were issued to them. As the seconds ticked down to zero, a huge bright burst of fire engulfed the launch pad. The launch sirens sounded across the site as 6 million pounds of thrust lifted the Delta rocket off the launch pad. The two astronauts held on tight as their stomachs sank into their seats. The hull rigorously shook around them, rattling them like stones in a tin can. Nervous eyes watched the launch from the main TV screen in mission control. It was a glorious spectacle to behold. The controller glanced down at his computer screen.
"Take-off A-Ok!" He said. "Control to Delta One. Remember, once you establish an orbit around Mercury, remain there for two full passes. The craft won't withstand the heat for too long."
"Roger, Control. Understood," replied the pilot. "We'll see you in a few weeks.."
As the spacecraft hurtled towards the atmosphere, it began to detach its lifting body compartments. The bottom section detached with success as it glided back towards the cape by remote control. The middle section carried the astronauts into the atmosphere itself before it too separated. Igniting its twin atomic engines, the single module continued on its ascent to the stars. The two astronauts continued their checklist.
"Control, we're levelling out now. Switching on the refrigeration unit now. We'll approach Mercury in Fourteen days."
"Roger, Delta One. We've calculated the re-entry angle for your return in four weeks. You'll be coming down in the Pacific ocean."
The launch made headlines across the globe, transmitting on all major world TV networks. On Tracy Island, the family gathered in the main lounge to watch the launch. They too were impressed. They hadn't seen an impressive launch since the Sunprobe, which nearly ended in disaster.
"Boy, look at that craft go!" gasped Alan. "I sure envy them right now.
"Everything's running smoothly so far," added Tin Tin. "Let's hope that it stays that way."
"Don't jinx it, Tin Tin," teased Virgil. "I know the rocket is under constant surveillance from the cape, but anything can go wrong."
"Yeah but it's got remote control fail-safe systems onboard, should anything go wrong." countered Tin Tin. "Those men are in safe hands."
"Nevertheless, it's a tricky operation," Jeff interjected. "I've notified John to keep a constant lookout, just in case. He'll follow the craft's course to and from Mercury."
"A wise precaution, Mister Tracy," smiled Tin Tin. "Let's hope that I didn't...jinx anything?"
Virgil chuckled, "Honey, I was only teasing."
Up in Thunderbird Five, John kept constant surveillance of the Delta rocket himself. Everything had gone according to plan to the point that he could relax. The day drew on without a hitch. Eight days later, the Delta rockets made their second orbital pass over Mercury. It had been a long journey, but it promised success to the two young Astronauts.
"Second orbit complete," the pilot reported. "All systems fully operational. The refrigeration unit is at maximum too."
His co-pilot and fellow astronaut smiled. "Let's go home. I'm computing our return course for Earth."
The trip back to Earth continued as smooth and uneventful as when they left, but that was all about to change. On the day of their re-entry, a huge meteor storm appeared on John's scanners. The meteors had appeared from the Orion belt and were due to pass the Earth right in front of the Delta rocket's re-entry path. The outlook concerned John greatly as he reported it to Tracy Island. The eyes of his portrait flashed in the main lounge, interrupting a quiet breakfast.
Jeff took the call. "Go ahead, John. What's up?"
John's expression backed up his report. "Father, I've detected a meteorite storm in Sector 9. It's heading straight for the Delta rocket's re-entry path. They're due to re-enter the atmosphere within the hour. Should I alert the authorities?"
"Monitor the situation, John. I'll notify the Cape myself." Jeff replied. "We can't act until we know for sure that the Delta rocket is in danger."
"FAB," John acknowledged. "I'll keep you posted."
But the meteor storm continued on its orbital path, threatening the Delta rocket with each passing minute. By now, the shower had been picked up on the Cape's radar screens as well Astronauts' computers. Between them, they worked to re-compute their re-entry angle, hoping they could steer clear of the meteor shower, but before they knew it, it was too late. Small chunks of molten rock bombarded the module. The two Astronauts buffeted with each blow. As they attempted to navigate the shower, they felt the module rock violently. The storm raged on when a warning light warned them of danger.
"The breaking retros aren't firing! They must have been hit by the meteorites!"
"Release the Emergency parachute!" replied the pilot. "It's our last chance!"
In a desperate last-ditch effort, the space capsule attempted a touchdown. The pilot threw the jettison switch and their capsule detached from the damaged twin engines which carried it home. As they pierced the atmosphere, the Astronauts were burdened by the problems. The buffeting had jammed the landing pack, preventing the parachute from opening. Still, the valiant Astronauts fought to keep the capsule under control. The capsule broke the Earth's atmosphere at a tremendous speed, but the storm had sent it violently off course. At last, the breaking chutes deployed, snapping them out of their dive, but instead of crashing into the Pacific ocean, they hurtled into the dense Amazon jungle, out of range of the Cape's radar, and crashed into the waters of the winding river. It sank to the bottom, embedding itself in the thick mud beneath the river. Unconscious, the Astronauts were saved by the softening impact, unable to reply to the Cape's frantic messages.
"Delta One from Mission Control! Come in please?" Where are you? Please state your position!? Come in, Delta One!"
Back at Cape Kennedy, the situation seemed hopeless. They exhausted all of their resources to search for the missing Delta capsule, but each search turned up nothing. Operatives turned in reports by the hour, each one said the same thing. The controller stood in front of a large area map display which was backlit by red lights. A young operative approached him with the hourly report.
"It's useless, sir. We can't find that capsule! It entered the Earth's atmosphere, but that meteorite storm made radar-tracking impossible. We've also lost radio contact with them."
The Controller turned to face him with a stern look. "We will launch the biggest search operation ever enacted! Scan every inch of the globe! There's a chance those men might be alive!"
An emergency call reached Tracy Island via John in Thunderbird Five. The call had come from the World President himself, appealing for help in the search. It seemed that the young space monitor had tracked the Delta Rocket's position since it entered the atmosphere using the satellite's super ultra-sensitive scanner. As he gave the coordinates to the rest of the family, Jeff sprung into action.
"Okay, here's what we'll do," he said. "We've been asked by the World President himself to aid in the search for Delta One. Scott, Virgil, launch Thunderbirds One and Two and proceed to the area, John has given you. Take Thunderbird Four and the sensor equipment. You better go with them too, Gordon."
The boys raced to their launch stations, vanishing within a matter of seconds. A short while later, the swimming pool slid back, revealing the hidden hanger below. A loud blast shook the ground as Thunderbird One emerged through the concealed hangar door. Virgil and Gordon shortly followed in Thunderbird Two as they blasted off for the clouds. The location John had given them was in the vicinity of the Amazon Jungle, but they weren't precise. The Tracy boys would have to cover a large dense area if they were going to find them. Inside the villa, Jeff and Alan studied a large world map that slid down from a slit in the ceiling.
"Well, it's been confirmed by Cape Kennedy. The Capsule didn't come down in a built-up area," he said. "We would have heard something by now. It must have landed in a deserted area."
"At least it gives Scott, Virgil and Gordon a lead to follow," added Alan. "In the meantime, we should check the Desert, Pole and Jungle areas. We'll find them eventually."
Beneath the river, the two Astronauts stirred within their cramped capsule. Delirious from the impact caused by their re-entry, they performed a damage check on their computer. The co-pilot removed his helmet and rubbed his bruised head.
"What happened? Where are we?" he groaned.
"We're on Earth!" replied the pilot. "But don't ask me where!"
However, a quick inspection revealed the terrible truth of their landing. The two astronauts soon faced the reality of their situation. Their capsule had become their tomb.
"The exits are blocked. We can't get out," muttered the pilot. "We have twelve hours of air left in our tanks. This capsule can only be opened from the outside. All we can do is call for help. The radio still works."
The co-pilot switched on the radio. "The radio doesn't work anymore. It's been drained of power. We've only one chance. I'm wearing an emergency homing device. It will transmit a beam for an hour. Someone should pick it up."
Twisting the circular device on his wrist, the co-pilot sent out a coded SOS message. Unsure whether anyone could hear them, they waited with bated breath. Unbeknownst to them, however, their SOS beacon was picked up by Thunderbird Five, Immediately, John directed his brothers towards the source of the message. As Scott streaked across the jungle, his frustrated thoughts had gotten the better of him. They had been combing the jungle for hours now, and so far found nothing. Tensions were running at an all-time high as the three brothers felt like they were getting nowhere. Fortunately, all that was about to change when John called through.
"Scott, I'm picking up an S.O.S. It's very faint and I can only get a fixing," he said. "It's somewhere in the Amazon. It's coming from the river."
Scott smiled. "Good work, John! It must be that capsule, Give me the location. We can't be too far now."
Transmitting the signal to Virgil, the two Thunderbirds headed for the river. The moment they arrived, Scott brought his rocket plane into a hovering position over the water. A door swung open and a small red missile-shaped buoy with two sensors attached lowered into the water. It sat just beneath the surface as it picked up sonar readings that emanated from the capsule. The sonar blip danced across the small monitor in front of Scott, confirming his hunch.
"Base and Thunderbird Two from Thunderbird One. I've found them!" he exclaimed. "I'm going to land along the bank. Better prepare Thunderbird Four."
Thunderbird Two banked hovered over the water. Virgil released the switch that held the Pod in place and dropped it upon the water.
"Okay Gordon, It's over to you," said Virgil. "Good luck! Scott and I are standing by."
"FAB, Virgil. Be seeing you." Gordon responded.
The Pod flap lowered and Thunderbird Four charged into the water. As he dived into the murky depths of the river, Gordon honed in on the SOS beacon. Within a matter of minutes, his search beams caught the capsule. It had been claimed by the silt and the mud, which locked it in place.
"There she is, stuck fast in the mud!" said Gordon as he informed his brothers. "I'm going to try and move her."
But, as he steered his submarine into position, Gordon was flanked by a large sea serpent. It charged at him from the darkness of the deep, looking upon him with two, yellow menacing eyes. It hissed at him as it attempted to ram his submarine into the rocks. Gordon threw his motors in reverse in a bid to lure the monster away from the capsule. His brothers could hear the commotion from their radios.
"Scott! I've attracted an uninvited guest down here!" he screamed. "It's a large river anaconda. I can't let it destroy the capsule."
"Hurry it, Gordon! Those guys don't have long left!" yelled Scott.
Gordon led the serpent as far away as he could. It continued to gnaw away at his motors when he spun the submarine around. He thumbed the trigger button, striking the serpent with a volley of missiles. The giant beast hissed as each explosion scared it away. A stray missile whizzed past it as it streaked through the water, striking the silt around the capsule. The trapped Astronauts braced themselves, unaware of the events unfolding around them, Fortunately, the serpent slipped away, scared by the explosions. Gordon sighed with relief before returning to the capsule. When he resumed his position, he locked onto the capsule with two powerful magnets, which protruded from the nose of his Sub. As soon as he applied power to the magnets, Gordon threw his motors into reverse. His engines strained as Thunderbird Four struggled to drag the Capsule out of the silt. It wasn't going anywhere. Gordon needed help.
"Thunderbird Two from Thunderbird Four. The capsule isn't budging. I'll need the aid of the magnetic grabs."
"FAB, Gordon," Virgil replied. "I'm sending them down now."
The hatch beneath Thunderbird Two's cabin slid back and four metal pincers lowered into the water. Gordon guided them down as they made contact with the capsule's hull. Virgil threw the switch, connecting the grabs to the surface. With the combined effort of both Thunderbird craft, the capsule began to shift out of the silt.
"Keep going, Virgil. She's moving!"
The two Astronauts felt the capsule move as they strapped themselves in their seats. They felt lighter as if they were floating upwards out of harm's way. Suddenly, a ray of sunshine flooded their cabin as a ray of sunlight touched their faces. They had made it out of the lake. Virgil gently set the capsule down upon the shore as Thunderbird Four surfaced. Scott stood by with a laser torch.
"She's all yours to unload, Scott," Virgil stated. "Well done Gordon!"
"Thanks, Virgil," came the reply. "Gee, I hope those guys are okay?"
Virgil shared his brother's concerns. "Well, Scott should be able to tell us anytime now."
Scott made short work of the capsule's hatch as he cut his way through with a red hot laser beam. The door collapsed inwards and the two Astronauts stepped out from their tomb. Scott greeted them with a smile as he helped them out one at a time. As he checked them over for injuries, he could hear Thunderbird Two touch down behind him. The two Astronauts, although shaken up, couldn't stop thanking him.
"So someone did receive our signal!" gasped the pilot. "We don't know how to thank you?"
"Save it, buddy," Scott smiled. "It's what we do. Now I think it's best we get you, boys, to a hospital."
The co-pilot rejected the idea. "No need. We'll be alright. We must take our flight recorder back to Cape Kennedy. Could you take us there?"
Scott obliged them. "Sure thing. I'll help you aboard Thunderbird Two. My brother will take you there. This way."
With capsule aboard Thunderbird Two, the two International Rescue craft took off, leaving the wonders of Amazon behind them. As they headed for the ocean, Virgil veered away, setting course for the Florida coastline. Virgil radioed his brother.
"See you after I drop these guys off, Scott," he said.
"FAB, Virgil," Scott replied. "I'll see you back home."
Thunderbird Two continued on her way towards the Space Port as she soared across the noonday sun. It had been a momentous day, one that the history books would never forget. Despite the desperate landing, Mankind had completed its first trip to Mercury.
END